Sport racquets, such as tennis racquets, are well known and typically include a frame having a head portion coupled to a handle portion. The head portion supports a string bed having a plurality of main string segments alternately interwoven with a plurality of cross string segments. Many racquets also include a throat portion positioned between and connecting the handle portion to the head portion. The typical string bed of a sports racquet includes a central region, that provides the most responsiveness, the greatest power and the best “feel” to the player, upon impact with a ball, and a peripheral region. The central region, commonly referred to as the “sweet spot,” is typically defined as the area of the string bed that produces higher coefficient of restitution (“COR”) values. A higher COR generally directly corresponds to greater power and greater responsiveness.
The string bed and the configuration of the racquet can also play a role in the amount of spin that a player can impart to a ball during play. The ability to impart a spin (a top spin or a back spin) to a ball increases a player's ability to control the ball during play. For example, imparting a top spin onto a tennis ball can enable a player to swing faster, hit the tennis ball harder and still keep the tennis ball in play within the court. Imparting a top spin to a ball can enable a player to aim higher, swing faster, clear the net and keep the ball in play. Accordingly, characteristics such as spin rate and spin ratio (the ratio of the spin rate of a ball after impact to the spin rate of the ball before impact with the string bed) can be important factors in evaluating a racquet and/or a player's performance. Other characteristics can also be useful in determining the amount of spin a strung racquet can produce to a ball, such as main string deflection, main string snapback time and main string snapback velocity.
Prior art racquets have incorporated different design features in an effort to increase a racquet's ability to impart spin to a ball and/or increase a racquet's sweet spot. Some of the design features include increasing a racquet's head size, increasing the tension of the racquet strings, changing the material of the racquet and/or the racquet strings, and increasing the length of the main and/or cross strings of a racquet. However, such design changes can include drawbacks such as reduced reliability, premature string breakage, premature racquet failure, increased moment of inertia of a racquet and reduced maneuver-ability.
Thus, there is a continuing need for a racquet configured to enable more spin to be imparted onto a ball during play. There is also a continuing need for a racquet with an enlarged sweet spot that provides an increased “dwell time,” without negatively effecting the overall performance of the racquet. It would be advantageous to provide a racquet with an enlarged sweet spot, increased main string deflection, reduced main string snap time, increased main string snap back velocity, and an increased “dwell time” without increasing the polar moment of inertia of the racquet head and without negatively affecting the maneuverability of the racquet. There is also a need for a racquet configured to impart more spin to a ball that is not a radical departure in look and design from traditional sport racquet designs.